President's Page

AOPA President Phil Boyer

Phil Boyer became president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) on January 1, 1991, capping an outstanding career as a senior-level broadcasting executive and general aviation (GA) advocate. He is a 7,000-hour-plus, instrument- and multiengine-rated pilot who has been flying for more than 30 years, 15 as an aircraft owner.

As AOPA president, Phil Boyer leads the largest and one of the most influential civil aviation organizations in the world. During his presidency, AOPA membership has grown by more than 33 percent — to 415,000 members — more than two thirds of all certificated pilots in the United States.

Under Boyer's leadership, AOPA played a major role in the long struggle to bring balance and reason into the unbridled tort law process that nearly killed the piston-engine aircraft industry in the 1980s. Liability suits targeted manufacturers — presumably the deepest pockets — on flimsy evidence, driving many out of business. Hence AOPA's strong advocacy, which proved vital to congressional passage, in 1994, of the General Aviation Revitalization Act. The act's 18-year statute of limitations and other provisions served to reinvigorate general aviation.

Phil Boyer's vision and leadership placed AOPA at the forefront of another long and successful campaign. In persuading the Federal Aviation Administration that the satellite-based Global Positioning System — GPS — should be endorsed, developed, and certified for use in general aviation flight operations, AOPA helped to significantly advance the safety of GA. As a result, GPS is now a principal element in advanced air navigation. AOPA is now working on the next generation of technology, ADS-B, an approach that brings real-time weather, traffic, and terrain information into the cockpit.

AOPA demonstrates Boyer's lifelong advocacy of applied advanced technology in its state-of-the-art Web site. This 40,000-plus-page resource is a treasure trove of valuable information and services that can enable a pilot to obtain — all in real-time — complete weather information, plan a flight, and check for airspace restrictions. AOPA's Web-based TurboMedical program greatly simplifies a daunting biannual task, the pilot's medical examination, by coaching pilots through a maze of questions that, if not answered properly, could create a maze of red tape. Additionally, AOPA ePilot is a weekly newsletter that is e-mailed to 300,000 members who want to receive up-to-the-minute information on GA news, airspace restrictions, and other critical input.

After the tragedy of 9/11, Boyer helped calm and educate the GA community and general public by working with the country's GA pilots while bringing clarity and reason to the government agencies that regulate them. In the aftermath, AOPA has been the industry leader in the constant struggle to maintain open and accessible skies while recognizing the need for increased security. The landmark Airport Watch program — modeled after the successful neighborhood watch concept and developed with the TSA and FAA — is but one example of this work. The Airport Watch program, which included mailings to every pilot and most flight schools in the country, operates on a 24/7 basis to effectively increase vigilance and security at the nation's 19,000 landing facilities.

On December 15, 2003, President Bush signed the FAA's four-year reauthorization bill into law, setting spending priorities and limits for the agency. AOPA's efforts helped make the following provisions come to law: a third-party review before the TSA can revoke an airman's certificate for security reasons, offering protection to pilots from the "pilot insecurity rule"; the "Meigs Legacy" amendment that prohibits closure of an airport without sufficient notice; and more than $14 billion for airport construction, much of that earmarked for general aviation airports. The bill also included short-term protection against privatizing air traffic control.

Boyer's management expertise, honed by over two decades in major corporate executive positions, has enabled AOPA to keep member dues at a modest $39 per year for the past 10 years. During Boyer's tenure, AOPA has earned the distinction of being among the top 100 U.S. associations.

Before taking the left seat at AOPA, Boyer was senior vice president/Development for Capital Cities/ABC Video Enterprises, Inc., where he explored new business opportunities in communications technologies and coordinated ABC's international business activities. He also created ABC's "Wide World of Flying," a quarterly subscription-based video magazine.

During his career at ABC, Boyer held vice president and general manager positions at flagship ABC television stations WABC-TV/New York and WLS-TV/Chicago.

The recipient of numerous broadcasting awards, Boyer has served as president of a major broadcasters association. In aviation, he was chapter president of the American Bonanza Society and president of the Sacramento Valley Pilots Association. Boyer has also been honored by the Federal Aviation Administration for guiding a fellow pilot in distress to a safe landing. He has flown over the Atlantic twice as pilot in command of a general aviation aircraft.

In 1992, Boyer was elected president of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations, which represents 56 national AOPA organizations with more than 420,000 pilot members around the world.

With his unique background in aviation, communications, associations, and business management, Phil Boyer leads AOPA in its mission of service to America's 645,000 pilots and aircraft owners and to the entire general aviation community.

Send e-mail to Phil.